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2012 Humane Awards Announced

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2012 ASPCA Humane Awards. This group of outstanding people and animals includes a rescue dog with more than 5.5 million views on YouTube and a 10-year-old horse advocate who has appeared before Congress.

The 2012 ASPCA Humane Award winners include:

ASPCA Dog of the YearAbandoned in a trash heap, Fiona, an 11-year-old Poodle mix, was sick, covered in dirt, matted, infested with fleas and blind in both eyes. A Los Angeles-based animal rescue group Hope for Paws, came to Fiona’s aid, and with the help of hundreds of donors all over the world, they raised the funds for Fiona’s surgery. Fiona’s miraculous story of survival has since garnered more than 5.5 million views online, a testament to what can be accomplished when homeless animals get a second chance.

ASPCA Cat of the YearScooter the cat was found on the street with no use of his back legs. He was rushed to Harts Run Veterinary Hospital in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania. Visitors to the hospital instantly fell in love with the fluffy black and white kitten, and donated funds to purchase him a custom-made wheeled mobility device. Scooter now visits a nursing home and rehabilitation hospital every week and serves as a constant inspiration to the elderly and to patients who lack mobility due to injuries and strokes.

ASPCA "Tommy P. Monahan" Kid of the YearAfter hearing about the inhumane and cruel practice of horse slaughter, now 10-year-old Declan Gregg of Greenland, New Hampshire, decided to raise his voice and get involved. Declan started his own blog, Children 4 Horses, to spread the word about horse advocacy issues. His dedication to horse advocacy brought him to the nation’s capital twice in recent months, where he represented more than 1,000 children from the U.S. and abroad by presenting the letters to legislators in Congress.

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Comments

I'm thrilled that a blind dog was the Dog of the Year! It's a testament to how resilient they are. Blind dogs can do anything a sighted dog can do! I am constantly amazed at the foster dogs in our care at Blind Dog Rescue Alliance.

When you take on the feeding and care of an anima, it's for life, yours or theirs. At the present time I adopted a feral pig. She was found in a field starved and dehidrated at about 5 weeks old. She is now almost 5 months old and the picture of health. Babe's had her shots and will go in to be fixed at 6 months. I am over 81 and know I won't out live her so I have made arrangments for another animal lover to take her when I die.

How wonderful that the poor sweet kitty was found and cared for by such kind people and can now inspire others how to live fully with their physical challenges. Great choice for Cat of the Year.

Kittens are so adaptable that little ones with disabilities are not aware that they are any different from other kittens and simply find ways to compensate. Bless this little guy, hopefully he will live the long, happy life he so richly deserves.

Eldad and Audrey Hagar, the couple who rescued Fiona, ASPCA's dog of the year, are most definitely heroes to many! Eldad has a gift in working with thrown away and abandoned animals who have lost their trust in humans due to mistreatment and being discarded like yesterday's trash. He spends many, many hours seeking out these poor needy souls in an effort to get them off the streets and into loving homes where they are finally treated with love, care, and kindness as they deserve. I have never met him or his wife in person but in viewing the many rescues that he often videos in the process, you can see the love and dedication that they have for so many that others have discarded. THEY are heroes to many people and many, many lost and lonely, once hopeless, pets!

I am glad Fiona received this award, she truly deserved it! She is one happy dog now, I just don't understand how someone could abandon such a sweet dog, or any dog for that matter. Responsible dog owners are for life, the life of the dog. If you can't be one you should not have a pet.

I am friends with Dr. Betsy Kennon, who rescued Scooter and now shares this amazing cat with so many people who derive inspiration from his courage. There may be no more deserving cat to be Cat of the Year. Congratulations!